Tippecanoe Arts Federation to award $187,000 in capital projects grants

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Tippecanoe Arts Federation (TAF) announces the awarding of nearly $187,000 in capital projects grants to six arts and cultural organizations in Tippecanoe and Montgomery counties. The grants were made possible through the generous gift from North Central Health Services, Inc. (NCHS), a medical services organization committed to addressing a wide range of health issues and to enhancing the quality of life for individuals, families and communities.

A grants award ceremony will be held at 2:30 PM on September 18, 2008, at the Wells Community Cultural Center, 638 North Street, Lafayette, and is free and open to the public.

This year’s recipients include the Lafayette Flute Choir, the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette, the Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Indiana Fiddlers’ Gathering, the Long Center for Performing Arts, and the Montgomery County Cultural Foundation.

TAF Executive Director Tetia Lee commented, “TAF is proud to be able to once again distribute these grants on behalf of NCHS. It’s significant to note that this year’s funding represents the millionth dollar made available to local arts by NCHS. The capital projects funded this year will enable these organizations to increase their capacity and to deliver enhanced programming and services to our local communities.”

For more information, contact TAF at 765-423-2787 or visit www.tippecanoearts.org.

High-impact firms create Indiana jobs and growth

WASHINGTON, DC — “High-impact” firms create Indiana’s new jobs and growth, according to a study recently released by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Distributed across all industries, high-impact firms account for almost all employment and revenue growth in the national economy, the study concludes.

Of the 376,604 high impact firms identified by researchers nationwide, 6,777 are located in Indiana. That number represents 2.2 percent of Indiana’s firms. Of the 6,777 high impact firms located in Indiana, 181 are located in the Lafayette MSA.

The study High-Impact Firms: Gazelles Revisited, defines high-impact firms as those whose sales have at least doubled over a four-year period and which have an employment “growth quantifier” (the firm’s absolute change in employment multiplied by the percent change) of two or more.

The study notes that such firms are found across all industries and in all geographic regions. It ranks regions, states, metropolitan statistical areas, and counties by their percentage of high-impact firms. The study finds, with some data limitations, that high-impact firms are not start-ups but are on average around 25 years old, and that they come in all size classes. The report also documents that over the periods studied, nearly all job losses came from large, low-impact firms.

“High-impact firms are important to Indiana’s economic growth and development,” said Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist for the Office of Advocacy. “State policy makers would be wise to consider how their policies can encourage such firms.”

The Office of Advocacy, the “small business watchdog” of the federal government, examines the role and status of small business in the economy and independently represents the views of small business to federal agencies, Congress, and the President. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats, and it funds research into small business issues.

For more information, a complete copy of the report and rankings of high-impact firms by region, state, MSA, and county, visit the Office of Advocacy website at www.sba.gov/advo.

Employee retention, if not good, shocks pocket book

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — There are aspects of farming that producers can’t control, such as grain markets, input costs and the weather, but employee management is one aspect that can be controlled and significantly affects an operation’s bottom line.

Sarah Smith, an organizational leadership and supervision specialist at Purdue University’s North Central campus, said according to Purdue’s Crop Costs and Return Guide, the 2008 budget for row crops shows that production agriculture costs relating to labor is $30 to $60 per acre.

“If your farm has eight key employees, full-time and primarily year-round, and you lose two of them this year to competitors or other work opportunities, that’s nearly a loss of $4,000 just in employee replacement costs,” Smith said. “This is an area that farmers can control and minimize employee turnover by offering good benefits, both tangible and intangible.”

It’s not unusual for a farming operation to experience a 25 percent turnover rate, but by providing benefits, they can substantially reduce their turnover rate, Smith said. And if you don’t have those employees in place during those crucial farming times like planting and harvest, the costs can become astronomical if you can’t get your crop harvested, she said.

Smith will discuss how employees can offer these benefits at reasonable costs during Purdue’s 41st annual Top Farmer Crop Workshop, which will be held July 20-23 in Pfendler Hall on Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.

Some of these benefits include offering a health care plan, accommodating requested time off, retirement options, disability benefits, as well as providing a good work environment where all employees are treated with respect.

“Farmers often think they can’t afford to offer these benefits to their employees,” Smith said. “But now employers have some feasible options to choose from that they can offer to help retain key employees.

“Many employers want to offer health benefits to a couple of key employees, but are unsure if it’s worth it because the monthly premiums are so high. One option available to them is to purchase a Health Savings Account (HSA). Then, instead of giving that employee a $1,000 bonus at the year’s end, that money can be put into an account for the employee to use for medical purposes. This allows the employee to have access to a good health care plan and makes it affordable for the employer to offer.”

Smith also said that there is often a misconception that disability insurance isn’t relevant because of Social Security.

“This is not the case,” she said. “There is lag time between the time of disability and when Social Security actually kicks in.

“Disability insurance is extremely reasonable and acts as a bridge to fill that gap. Because farming is such a hazardous occupation this is often very important for employees working in the field.”

Smith said another myth that farmers have is they can’t afford to offer a retirement plan. She said this shouldn’t matter.

Employers can offer simple plans such as an IRA account and provide automatic payroll deduction, which adds to the paperwork, but is often very important to attracting and retaining good employees, she explained.

“Even if you can’t match the amount the employee puts in or provide a percent, if you will just set up payroll so they can make an automatic deduction, it’s a huge benefit,” she said.

During Smith’s presentation she will also talk about legislative and legal changes and potential changes that affect employers. These include changes to the Family and Medical Leave Act, minimum wage and seasonal labor laws. Smith will provide resources to make sure employers are legally compliant and will answer any questions in regards to these issues.

More information about the workshop is available at http://www.agecon.purdue.edu/topfarmer/conference.asp. Pre-registration is encouraged due to space limitations, but not necessary. Individuals can register by visiting http://www.conf.purdue.edu/TOPCROP or calling (765) 494-7220. Registration costs $300 for the first individual representing a farm and $100 for each individual after that. The cost includes two meals, refreshments, the opportunity to test farm plans using the B-21 linear programming analysis and a workshop proceedings binder. A registration discount of $100 is being offered for first-year attendees (only applicable to full registrations).

For questions and more information regarding the workshop, contact Bruce Erickson at (765) 494-9557 or berickso@purdue.edu. For questions regarding registration, please contact Tom Robertson at (765) 494-7220 or tlrobertso@purdue.edu.

St. Elizabeth Regional Health and Unity Healthcare host fund raiser for YWCA Women’s Cancer Program, seeks vendors

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — St. Elizabeth Regional Health and Unity Healthcare will be hosting the inaugural “Ultimate Pink Party” (formerly Celebration of Women) on October 10, 2008 at the Best Western in Lafayette, Indiana from 5:30-11pm.

Vendors and center stage for speaker presentations and entertainment will be in the main banquet room. Attendance is expected to be around 125 individuals consisting mostly of women from Tippecanoe and the surrounding counties. Applications for vendor sponsorships are currently being accepted.

This fund raiser benefits the YWCA Women’s Cancer Program. The YWCA Women’s Cancer Program strives to eliminate inequities in health care experienced by many women by removing barriers to access and promoting effective community-based outreach, education, and referrals to appropriate clinical services. The program provides low-cost or free screenings for breast and cervical cancers, including mammograms, breast ultrasounds, biopsies, Pap tests, pelvic exams, and colposcopies. The program serves women in Tippecanoe County and 22 other Indiana counties: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Cass, Clay, Clinton, Fountain, Greene, Hamilton, Howard, Jasper, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Parke, Pulaski, Sullivan, Tipton, Vermilion, Vigo, Warren and White.

For more information about how to be a vendor sponsor visit www.ultimatepinkparty.com or call Michelle Kreinbrook at 765.446.5228 or email mkreinbrook@unityhc.com

Unity Healthcare expands physical, occupational therapy services

LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Unity Healthcare announces the opening of Miracles Rehabilitation, a comprehensive Physical and Occupational Therapy Service provider. The facility is located at 917 Sagamore Parkway West in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Located within the Miracles Fitness complex, Miracles Rehabilitation is the only facility in Indiana to have two clinicians with expertise in applied functional science (the study of authentic human movement). The office is staffed by David Cobb, Amy Cobb and Brandon Biggs. They are available Monday through Friday from 8am- 6pm.

New patients are currently being accepted. To schedule an appointment, call 765.463.2200. For more information visit www.unityhc.com

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